SCRIPTURE: “So Jesus called them all together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the heathen have power over them, and the leaders have complete authority. This, however, is not the way it shall be among you…'” (Matthew 20:25-26a GNB)
QUOTE: “The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.” —Kenneth Blanchard
NOTE:
John Maxwell defined leadership simply as Influence. Brian Tracy was spot on when he said “Become the kind of leader that people would follow voluntarily even if you had no title or position.” People only voluntarily follow leaders who have influenced on them. You cannot gain voluntary Followership by trying to control and compel people to follow you. You have to influence people positively for them to follow you willingly.
American Business Magnate Ross Perot said “Lead and inspire people. Don’t try to manage and manipulate people. Inventories can be managed but people must be led.” In trying to make a distinction between Leading and Controlling, 34th US President General Dwight Eisenhower said “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.” Leaders must Influence and not Control. Leaders Influence by being examples. You will either lead others by being the example of what to do or what not to do or by being the example of who to become or who not to become. If you lack self-leadership, you cannot influence others to follow
ILLUSTRATION:
Imagine if a Leader expects people to be on time to meetings and the leader is always coming late to those Meetings. It would definitely be frustrating and demoralizing to team members because the Leader is holding them to a greater standard than he or she is holding themselves. At the end of the day if we want to influence people to follow us voluntarily not compulsively, we cannot ask them to do any more than we ourselves are willing to do.
If you want to influence someone to live a life of integrity, punctuality etc., you must first model it to them. Leadership is influence. This means that if you are leading someone you have influence in their lives. Who you are is what will influence them more than what you say.
REFLECTION:
Are you a Leader or a Controller? Do you exemplify the culture you’re demanding from your subordinates?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING: 2 Chronicles 33 – 34, Psalm 71